Unlike many industries in Canada, the floral industry requires no certification. This means that anyone can simply hang up a sign out front and take on the title of a florist without spending a single day working in a flower shop or attending an institution to train and learn skills.
In the U.S., there is a movement occurring that could change this situation. The National Alliance of Floral Associations (NAFA), a non-profit association with members that include state, multi-state and national non-profit floral associations in the U.S., is preparing a national florist certification proposal that it plans to present to board members by July.
The group hopes that developing a national florist certification program will allow the industry to create a professional brand that will be recognized across the U.S. and give consumers confidence when making a floral purchase. The program would be open to all aspects of the industry – shop owner, employee, freelancer, wholesaler – and could combine a variety of learning techniques such as tests, self-study and hands-on workshops. At press time, NAFA was in the process of developing the proposal and only the next few months will tell how successful the organization will be in getting the program up and running.
In light of these developments south of the border, we thought this would be the perfect time to ask members of the Canadian industry their thoughts on a national certification program. Do you see such a program as beneficial to the industry and, if so, how? Would you pay more to someone who is certified? Will your business sell more flowers, make more money or have less competition if your staff is certified?
We posed these questions to Tracy Bell, president of the Canadian Professional Floral Designers Association in British Columbia, and Ontario’s Patricia Patrick, CAFA, AIFD, past president and one of the founders of CAFA.
The following are Tracy Bell’s views on a national certification program:
“As an employer, I would certainly take accreditation into account when hiring, however, my focus is on customer service, so for me, personality trumps design qualifications. Honestly, I would be unsure of the consistency of qualifications in a certification program state-to-state or province-to-province. In the case of AIFD, the criteria is quite strict, and the costs high so that its certification program can be trusted. AIFD’s accreditation can be a detriment for the job seeker, however, as employers may fear the designer will request more money than the business can support.
“Any accreditation is helpful, especially if a qualifier needs to have worked in the floral industry for a certain amount of time in order to even be considered for testing. Knowing this can be valuable during the hiring process.”
Patricia Patrick responded to our questions with the following statement:
“Thanks for giving me the opportunity to “vent” on a subject I feel very strongly about!
“Yes, I am a very firm supporter of certification in the industry; without it we suffer from a lack of standards and have no credibility with the consumer. I cannot think of another skilled trade (for that is what we are) that allows workers with no certification. Consequently, the consumer gives us no more worth than they would people who serve in other retail establishments where there is no skill level.
“This is somewhat our own industry’s fault because even those stores that employ fully qualified and certified personnel do not advertise the fact.
“You are right in saying that fully qualified people are not paid sufficiently for their skill level.
“We look as if we are heading for a dramatic downturn in the economy so that situation will not change quickly but those with the qualifications will keep the available jobs. This has all happened before. In the early ‘90s it was the designers who were fully capable who remained fully employed. An employer wants a few good people who can do everything. So how does one prove one’s worth?
“By being qualified and certified!”
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